As a benzene detecting element for selectively and highly sensitively detecting benzene slightly present in atmospheric air, there is a detecting element by adsorbing a target molecule with an adsorbent and concentrating (Non-patent Document 1). This adsorbent is one utilizing a substituent which has high affinity with benzene and its analogous aromatic molecule. When using this conventional method, there arise the following problems. Namely, since this conventional method is a separation method where only physicochemical properties are used, it is not suitable to separate benzene from molecules having similar nature or structure to benzene. Moreover, there is expected a method where an element by using a host molecule having sites which identify only benzene molecule is used. However, since production of the element requires a complex synthetic process, the synthesis of the element is difficult as to a stable molecule having a remarkably low reactivity like benzene.
Patent Document 1: JP-A-2003-021595    Non-patent Document 1: SHINJIKKENKAGAKUKOUZA 9, “BUNSEKIKAGAKU II”, Ed. by Shadanhoujin NIPPONKAGAKUKAI, MARUZEN K. K.    Non-patent Document 2: A. Stein, B. J. Melde, R. C. Schroden, Adv. Mater. 12(19), 1403 (2000)